Vehicle suspension spring



C. S, WOELFL,

VEHICLE SUSPENSION SPRING Filed Aug. 25, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 311 we wife 0 M/oelf L WWW km Dec. 27,1927. 1,654,202

0. SQWOELF'L VEHICLE SUSPENSION SPRING Filed Aug. 25, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 Loc Wow C. SM/Qelj L Dec, 27, 1927.

1,654,202 CI. 3. WOELFL.

VEBIGLE SUSPENSION SPRING Filed Aug. 25, 1924 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 @vwemiioz Iltl ii (i Patented Hen. 27 will.

UNITED fiTA'lESr GHALRLES Vlllllllllllflllfl hill] npplioation filed August ea, 19%. Heria]. No. mama.

My invention relates to an iinprorenteot in vehicle suspension springs and conuariwa more particularly an attachment tor the main suspension springs-i ot an autoumhile the genera l object being" to provide a set oit Suppleinentary lent springs adapted to enhance the riding; qualities ot the main springs and also permit the flexibility or resiliency of the spring assembly to be niodilied or changed with convenience and dew patch so that the suppleinentrd spriru may be attached and user on cars or? t ercnt kinds or types and accoininodate varying loads and conditions with equal 'lacilit r and without breal In the aecoin panying drawings, l i r. l is a side elevatioi'i ot the rear part o a vehicle equipped with a semi-elliptic luaiu spring; and supplemental springs accordinp; to my invention. Fig. 52 is a rear View ot a vehicle having a transversely arranged main spring;

and. a set oi? my improved supplemental spri as connected therewith. 5s. 3 and 4;

are top and side views, respee v enlarged scale, ol my impror ed supplemental sprin .l unattached or alone. li ip 5 is an end elevation of the spring; shown in Fig. Fig. (3 is a vertical section of the spring on line tl--t3 of liig. -il-. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the w ring; clamp used to attach the suppleineitital spring to the main spring, and lligg. 8 a perspective View of the spreader plate which is used between the diverging spring; sections. Fin. 5) isa side View oi iny implored sruLJpleniental spring slightly modified and connected with a three-quatr elliptic suspension spring, and Fig. is an enlarged side view oil' this modified form of supplemental spring.

Now referring first to Figs. 3 to 8. inclusive, the attachment or suppleuientary spring comprises a pair of short laminated spring sections It and ii resniectirelm each 1na de out superposed spring leaves of ill. yjl]3 length which are squared and tastencd to getl'ier at their butt or base ends. The longer leaves 2 and 3 of sections ii. and B, respectively. are termed with eyes or loops 5 and t) at their outer extremities to permit a hinge or pivot C(Jl'lllPCtlUl] to be made there with. As shown, least 2 of section it. has a widened and. bifurcated eye end 5, and leaf 3 of section ll has a. single eye end 6 ot the same width as leaf 3. The spring leaves of said two sections are clu'red longitudh cly, on an placement oi the plate loner pally and all the leaves are rigidly united together at their butt, ends by a single rivet or bolt which passes through a spacing nuainber 8 hatvinp; an rularly bent extremities or lips 9 adapted to er en the c'de edges oft one of the adjacent spr A yoke nientiber it) is also secured to the outer leaf of one (it said. spring sections by the same bolt 7, and the le s 11 at this rolze member are adapted to rraddln and confine laminated main spring, such for example as the senlrelliptic spring: 0 shown in Fig. l, or a laminated sprii'lg D ot the type shown in l ig. 2. .lhe outer ends ol logs ll are formed with bolt openings to receive a fastening bolt l2. and in order that a slidable cnshloningr union may he etiectcd with the main spriingr l insert an arched spring member 14lbetween bolt and the lace oil? the main spring; and term this spring ineinbcr i l with a central tra1r--iverse depression 15 to seat the bolt and semi-e said member in worlrinn position.

'l'he two spring); FtWi'l LHIS .il. and B are spaced apart substantially their hill length, being; straight and parallel near their butt ends where unitrd to other and curved apart a substantial distanci-i at their eye ends to permit the two sections to tier relatively to each other. Under extreme loads the two spring sections may even flex inltil in. con tact and in order that the degree of flexibility of the two f-5tt5l'l0118 may be incre: sed. or decreased to meet dillerent conditions and re p1iren1ents when the sections are connected to a main spring, I provide an adjustable separating); plate 16 between the two sectionin and a pair o't clamping plates 17-l7 and bolts 18 adapted to cooperate with bolt 7 in uniting the swing sections together at their butt ends.

Separating: plate 16 is notched at its opposite ends to permit bolts 18 to pass theretln'onnh and prevent dis- :rulinally of: the two spring sect ons. and the cl ainpirng; plates 17 and staiaratinn plate 1.0 may; be readily various ways.- Thus in Fig. 1 I show a semi-elliptic main spring C fastened to the axle 20 of a vehicle and hinged at one end to the body or frame 21 of the vehicle. The supplementary spring comprising divided sections A and B, is hinged at 6 to the longest leaf of the main spring and supported at its butt end from the body of the main spring by yoke 10 and its spring rider or arched. member 14. The outer end of leaf 2 of spring section A is shackled linked to the vehicle body or frame 21 by a link or pair of links 22 thus completing the connection whereby the load is carried to the main spring by and through the divided supplementary spring.

In Fig. 2, I show a bowed main spring D arranged transversely beneath one end of a vehicle body 23 and provided with set of supplementary springs comprising divided sections A and B as herein described. In this case the supplementary springs are disposed above the main spring and inverted as compared with the spring assembly in Fig. 1 and one of the spring sections is hinged to a perch 24 extending from the axle or brake drum housing of the vehicle.

In Figs. 9 and 10, I show a supplementary spring constructed according to my invention but slightly modified and connected to a three-quarter elliptic suspension spring assembly. Thus a supplemental spring, composed of two divided and spaced spring sections A and B, with the shorter leaves inside and opposed, is disposed between one end of a semi-elliptic main spring 25 and a quarter-elliptic spring 26, the eye end of sectionA being connected to the eye end of the long top leaf of main spring 213 and the eye end of section B being connected by a shackle member or links 27 to the eye end of the long leaf of the quarter-elliptic spring 26. In this assembly the shorter spring leaves of the sections A and B face each other and the adjustable separating plate 16 may be shifted longitudinally between them to change the fulcrum or bending point of the spring leaves and vary their flexibility, and also to regulate the working space between the sections to prevent them from striking or hearing against each other at their free ends under excessive loads. The separating plate also prevents the spring leaves 'from buckling and breaking, and various adjustments may be made to obtain various degrees of motion between the spring sections and to adapt the supplemental s ring to cars of different weights.

What claim as my invention, is

l. A vehicle suspension spring, comprising a laminated main spring, and a pair of diverging spring leaf sections yoked at their butt ends to said main spring and having a. separating and clamping device adjustable longitudinally of the two spring sections and adapted to modify the flexible action o i said leaf sections.

2. A vehicle suspension spring, coinpris ing a laminated main spring, a sectional snpplementary spring adapted to slide at one end upon said main spring and having one of its sect-ions 'iivotally connected with a part of said main spring, means adapted to conncct the other section to a fixed part of the vehicle, and a longitinliinilly adjuslahle separating and clamping device on and for the separate sections of said supplementary spring.

3. A supplementary spring attin-lnncnt for a vehicle suspension s n'ing, comprising separate spring scxtions united together at their butt ends and having athichnicnt eyes at their tree extremities, and a separating member mounted. between said spring sections and movable longitudinally thereof.

4:. A supplementary spring attachment for a vehicle suspension spring, comprising a pair of diverging spring sections having a movable separating plate between them and means adapted to clamp said plate and sections together, said plate and clamping means being :uljustabie longitudinally of said spring sections.

5. A supplementary spring attachment for a vehicle suspension spring, comprising a pair of divided spring sectionsunited together at one end and diverg ng apart at theiropposite ends, and a longitudinall movable separating and damping device adapted to clamp said sections together to vary the flexil ility thereof.

6. A supplementary spring atlzn-lnncnt tor a vehicle suspension spring. comprising a pair of dive'ging spring sections. a notched separating plate seated betv-reen sa d sec tions, and clamping plates and bolts adapted to clamp said separating p ate and said sections together, said notched separating plain and said clamping plates and bolts heiig movable lengthwise of said spring sections to vary the flexibility thereof.

7. A supplementary spring atta' lnnent for a vehicle suspension spr ng, comprising a pair of laminated spring sections se-nred tugether at their butt ends and curved apart at their opposite ends, each section having an attachment eye formed in its free end. a yoke member fixed to the butt end of s id sections, a sliding support member secured to said yoke, a separating plate longitudinally movable seated between said seciicns. and a clamping device for said sections and plate, said clamping device and said plate being longitudinally adjustable on and between said laminated spring sections.

' In testimony whereof I allix my signal iil'i.

CHARLES S. \VOELFL. 

